Taulupe Faletau

What a miss he will be when he makes the journey over the Severn Crossing next season to link up with Aviva Premiership club Bath.

The Wales and Lions star was absolutely superb, hardly putting a foot wrong and being involved in everything good about the Dragons.

Whether it was his driving with the ball, tidying up, catching the ball, passing it on working hard, he did the lot with former England captain Phil Vickery afterwards hailing him as the best No.8 in the northern hemisphere.

Taulupe Faletau of Newport Gwent Dragons is held by Sione Kalamafoni of Gloucester during the European Rugby Challenge Cup match at Kingsholm Stadium (Image: David Jones/Getty Images)

Dragons board

It put the franchise up for sale a few days ago and this unexpected win couldn’t have come at a more opportune time to grab attention and perhaps interest.

Whether an investor will want to come in is another matter because few clubs in the United Kingdom are making a profit but maybe somebody with deep pockets and Gwent connections will be attracted by the challenge of taking forward Welsh rugby’s poor relations.

There’s certainly a core of hugely promising youngsters, like Tyler Morgan, Hallam Amos, Elliot Dee and Matthew Screech, and others coming off the production line and wins like this may help ward off potential suitors.

The Guinness Pro12

Who needs the Aviva Premiership? Should the Dragons go on and lift the Challenge Cup it would bag the Pro12 an extra place in next season’s Champions Cup.

So you can be assured Champions Cup pursuers Cardiff Blues, who played Montpellier twice earlier in the season, and the Ospreys will be backing the Men of Gwent’s bid to go all the way.

LOSERS

Lyn Jones

The under-pressure head honcho of the Dragons has been suffering from illness which had kept him away from their training base at Ystrad Mynach and Kingsholm today.

They may have won even if he had been at the west country hot-house but it’s not one he can claim on his CV with doubts about his future at the Dragons persisting despite him having just over a year remaining on his contract.

Ross Moriarty

Wales back-row forward Ross Moriarty was allegedly rested by Gloucester because the west country club wanted to increase their number of English-qualified players in their match-day squad, which is worked out over the season, to get maximum funding from the Rugby Football Union.

Director of rugby David Humphreys later claimed Gloucester wanted to re-introduce players who had been on the injured list but it meant Moriarty missed out on a chance to impress Wales coach Warren Gatland ahead of internationals with England and New Zealand.

And one thing’s for sure, the Cherry and Whites missed the ball-carrying power and menace of the powerhouse.

Perhaps it was a case of Gloucester believing the result would be a walkover and of them underestimating the Dragons.